How To Pick One Of 28 Candidates Running Against Maria Cantwell

SEATTLE, WA - An overwhelming 28 people are running against U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell in the August primary. If you're not going with the two front-runners - Cantwell and former state GOP chair Susan Hutchison - picking your horse will be a difficult task.

To make it easier for you, we asked each candidate (including Cantwell and Hutchison) who they would vote for if the 2016 presidential election were held today. Hopefully pointing out the pro-Trump or pro-Bernie people will help you make a choice.

Your primary ballots are due back Tuesday. The top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election.

Here's what the candidates told us. These answers are verbatim what they sent:

Thor Amundson (Independent): Didn't respond

Dave Strider (Independent): Once we get the resolution on the Treason that was committed by the DNC. we can begin moving forward and that should be a warning that there is a new sheriff in town.

Joey Gibson (Republican): Didn't respond, but definitely Trump

Mike Luke (Libertarian): Gary Johnson as I did in 2016.

GoodSpaceGuy (Republican): Today, I, Goodspaceguy, candidate for the US Senate, would vote for President Donald Trump. On my blog colonizespace.blogspot.com. using my wishful thinking, I predicted that he would win the Presidential election, which he did. I have been pleased with his active leadership.
Upward with GoodSpaceGuy

Clint R. Tannehill (Democrat): I definitely have to go with a write-in for Bernie Sanders here

Maria Cantwell (Democrat): Didn't respond, but definitely Hillary Clinton.

Susan Hutchison (Republican): Didn't respond, but definitely Trump

Brad Chase (FDFR Party): My support would be the same: for Hillary. As a true independent sick of the both parties’ mutual commitment to inaction, the decision was truly last-minute and made just the day before the election. It needs to be clear that this idea - Trump has done nothing right and all his positions are terrible - is a fallacy made by partyists who blindly follow whatever Democrats say and do. He’s made some good progress on economics and deregulation, and the world hasn’t yet ended, despite all the doomsday proclamations and two years of a friendly Congress to do it. But he’s been so divisive, so nasty, so ill-informed and so reckless. An alternate 2018 with Hillary as POTUS would have our nation in pretty much the same place, with the same partisan nastiness but with less confrontation, less discord with international allies and far less anxiety on both sides. But make no mistake, we’d still have 95% of the problems we have today under Trump. It just wouldn’t be as entertaining and reporters would have better things to investigate.

Tim Owen (Republican): Didn't respond

Matthew D. Heines (Republican): I voted for Donald Trump then and I would vote for Donald Trump now. I plan on using my position in the Senate to work with and mentor the President about the importance of getting my Real Deal legislation passed in order to ensure the continuation of our country and Democracy in the world, as well as his own Presidential legacy. I am sure you were looking for something different, but that is my answer.

Sam Wright (The Human Rights Party): I would vote for the same person I voted for in 2016 – Sanders.

Art Coday (Republican) Didn't respond, but probably Trump

John Orlinski (Republican): It is no secret that I voted for Mr. Trump and I would do it again. I had also liked and supported other candidates, like Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, and Dr. Ben Carson, running in 2016. I hope, one of them, and also Senator Mike Lee, could be Mr. Trump’s running mate in 2020. Mr. Trump is our President and we have to support him. He is trying to drain the swamp and we need to support him in it, as well. Most of our MSM is owned by the foreigners so it is hard to trust them anymore. The Mueller investigation is a hoax perpetrated on us by the enemies of ours. FBI knew that Carter Page and Paul Manafort were compromised figures and under investigation but nobody had bothered to inform Trump about it. Page is an ambiguous figure and he could have even been sent there by the DNC or FBI/CIA. Trump is doing a great job with lowering taxes, jobs, eliminating unneeded regulations, renegotiating trade agreements, forcing NATO to pay up more, securing the border, nominating SC judges, negotiating with North Korea, etc. Obama himself admitted that maybe he had been implementing the globalization too fast and the American people were not ready for it yet. So, if Hillary were elected, we would have seen the continuation of the globalist policies, wars, open borders, and corruption in WDC. We could have gotten into wars with Russia and Iran soon after electing her. Hillary had been portraying herself as an entitled one for the presidency, the first woman being lifted to the Oval Office. However, she had also endangered the security of this country by running a private server out of her bathroom, coordinating with the Clinton Foundation, and then, while being investigated by the Feds, she had destroyed evidence pertaining to her corruption. She cheated Senator Sanders out of the nomination. She, as she told Goldman Sachs, had also two views on all of the issues, the private and the public ones. So, to vote for such a persona, one would have to be as insane as she, HRC, was. I see Mr. Trump as an outsider, transitory person, and a revolutionist, like Senators Sanders was intending to be. He is not a politician for sure. He is a patriot, which have a negative connotation in many of our minds, right way. I have been asked many times what would be my main issue to deal with in WDC and my answer was fighting corruption there. The corruption leads to budgets deficits and growing National Debt. Almost the only solution to conquer it would be to impose term limits on the current elected officials, the dudes. I do not see any cure for the people who have been there for 44 years, like Senator Leahy has been.

Charlie R. Jackson (Independent): Didn't respond, but he is a graduate of the "University of Life."

Keith Swank (Republican): President Trump

Alex Tsimerman (StandupAmerica Party): Didn't respond, but, oh boy, definitely Trump.

RC Smith (Republican): Didn't respond, but she'd probably support the candidate most against cell phone towers.

Don L. Rivers (Democrat): Didn't respond, but both Sanders and Clinton are possibilities.

Jennifer Gigi Ferguson (Independent): In the 2016 elections, I knew who would win this state no matter how I voted. If I had to make that vote again, I would vote the exact same way. Bernie Sanders.

Steve Hoffman (Freedom Socialist Party): In 2016, I voted socialist and if I had it to do over, I'd voted socialist again. I've voted socialist for as long as I can remember because I want a future without endless war and worsening exploitation. Hilary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, the Democrats or Republicans--none of them represent people who work for a living. They are beholden to big money, corporations, billionaires. I am a public worker, maintaining the heating and air conditioning systems at North Seattle College. As an active unionist with Washington Federation of State Employees Local 304, I fight discrimination on and off the job. An anti-war veteran, I stand with Veterans Administration workers against the VA MISSION Act that opens the door to privatizing the VA system. I also stand up to bigotry in all its forms, organizing with my co-workers and campaign supporters against fascists like Joey Gibson and Patriot Prayer. I'm running as a socialist feminist for the Freedom Socialist Party because I am a worker who will fight for workers in Congress. If you haven't voted yet, check out my platform at VoteSocialism.com.

George H. Kalberer (Democrat): Didn't respond

James Robert "Jimmie" Deal (Green Party): I held my nose and voted for Hillary. I would still vote for Hillary, although she is a Wall Street Democrat. Maria Cantwell is another Wall Street Democrat. You my quote me: "Trump is the Democrats' penance for having stolen the nomination from Bernie."

Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente (Republican): Didn't respond

Jon Butler (Independent): Didn't respond

Dave Bryant (Prefers Republican Party): voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and I would do so again - and most wholeheartedly. He has doggedly fought for solutions to all of the tough issues that he promised to work on for us as US citizens during his presidential campaign. There are far too many incoherent policies, laws and international agreements that were obviously hurting US citizens and our future jobs - especially the career jobs that all of us should be working to provide for our next generation. Whether it is internal trade agreements, overhaul of our incoherent immigration system, securing our borders, leading our allies in sustaining peace, we need to support what Donald Trump promised and is now doing - focus on how the solutions effect our economy - because the economy is about our jobs, our career jobs, and the future of our country. Without good jobs we can barely take care of ourselves much less help out the less fortunate. With the good jobs, we can do anything! I stand with President Trump in his fight for a secure America, lower taxes, and good jobs.

Mohammad Said (Democrat): Didn't respond

Matt Hawkins (Republican Party): Donald Trump

Glen R. Stockwell (Republican ): Didn't respond

Caption: U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell with Attorney General Bob Ferguson at the March For Our Lives rally in Seattle on March 24.

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch